


The Cuddle Chronicles: Galaxy Pajamas

by Eottoghe



Series: The Cuddle Chronicles [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Jeongharem, Light Angst, M/M, Main Jeongcheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 01:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eottoghe/pseuds/Eottoghe
Summary: When Seungcheol was angry, you could feel it. The palpable tension in the room was so thick it was like trudging through hot molasses.Every single fiber in Jeonghan's being shouted to stop. Let go and diffuse the situation. If not for his sake, then for his members’. But, something sinister made his touch linger like he was playing with the devil, testing his fate.A fic in which Jeonghan makes Seungcheol mad so he gets denied cuddling. Jeonghan then goes to every other member to get them to cuddle with him.





	The Cuddle Chronicles: Galaxy Pajamas

**Author's Note:**

> This Jeongharem tag finna be lit. Like really guys. I need Jeonghan stans and ults alike to come together to create the most popping works out there!
> 
> Lol. But legit. This was a lot of fun to write and I honestly used quite a bit of actual reference. Like things the members have mentioned whilst dorming with each other so look out for those! I wrote this while listening to the sounds of the rainforest and I am not ashamed.

They had just finished a live in their waiting room after an event. All the members were doing their own things. Some chatted idly, others lounged and napped, but riling Mingyu up seemed to be how Jeonghan wanted to spend his down time.  Seungcheol had been eyeing the interaction between the two for some time now and it seemed that Jeonghan had progressively gotten more “hands-on” with the younger. It didn't help that Mingyu sported a flushed face and was giggling at his every word. No one seemed to pay them any mind though. Only Seungcheol, sporting a dagger like glare from across the room.

As the leader, he was always the one to keep the level head. He had to look strong, be strong, and view things rationally.

As Jeonghan's secret boyfriend? Well, his patience was a bit more... thinned.

He watched with clear disdain, even if no one could feel his aura of broodiness. The duo were facing each other, hands clasped together. Jeonghan would lean up to whisper something before they both let loose giddy laughs. When Mingyu retorted, Jeonghan let his wide grin grace his face before playfully hitting the other on the chest. Seungcheol crossed his arms, his frown deepening further. Mingyu, in faux annoyance, began walking away, but didn’t get far as Jeonghan caught him in an affectionate back hug, laughing.

That was the final straw.

When Seungcheol was angry, you could feel it. The palpable tension in the room was so thick it was like trudging through hot molasses.

Seungcheol stood up so quickly, his chair toppled backward, a loud clang resonating through the enclosed space. He stormed toward the duo, his rage emanating from him like a radioactive bomb. He was ticking away each second Jeonghan's arms remained around the other. Standing a foot away, he glared down Jeonghan with a silent message flittering in his eyes. One of warning.

Jeonghan received the message very clearly, but pulled a face of defiance regardless. Every single fiber in his being shouted to stop. _Let go and diffuse the situation._ If not for his sake, then for his members’. But, something sinister made his touch linger like he was playing with the devil, testing his fate.

Mingyu stared with wide eyes at his leader, mumbling _hyung… hyung_ and nudging Jeonghan to let go. He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want to be in the center of it. Jeonghan didn't budge though, his arms still tightly clasped around a toned midsection. Jeonghan peeked from behind his shoulder frowning childishly at Seungcheol. The eldest glowered back.

Jeonghan could only assume that Seungcheol was upset because he wasn’t getting the attention he felt he deserved. He found it ridiculous so he stood his ground. He’d explained to Seungcheol several times, letting him know that they couldn’t be so reckless around the others. If he started acting differently around everyone else, they'd become suspicious. Plus, he wasn't one to be bossed around and his stubbornness often got the best of him. Why should he have to halt whatever he did just to appease the other? Albeit, he was his boyfriend now so some compromise was to ensue, but at this exact moment, he wasn’t so willing to back down.

If anything, his grip tightened.

_Tick._

_Tick._

**_Boom._ **

Before he knew it, Seungcheol was gone.

All of the remaining members winced at the harsh bang of the dressing room door. Slowly, they turned their attention to Jeonghan who awkwardly unfurled his arms with a sheepish look. He was going to hear about this later.

* * *

 

Outside of the room, Seungcheol thrashed his arms about as if he were fighting an imaginary monster. Only, the monster wasn’t imaginary, it just wasn’t visible. It was an accumulation of his thoughts. The thought of Jeonghan sharing secrets with Mingyu and not him. The thought of Jeonghan ignoring his silent plea to stop. The thought of how he just embarrassed himself in front of everyone by causing a scene only he could understand. He breathed deep, shallow breaths trying to regain his composure. After his small tantrum, he rested against the wall, counting in his head—a method Jeonghan had passed along to him to keep his anger in check.

He shouldn't have lost his temper, but Jeonghan egged him on. Jeonghan knew what he was doing. He’d seen the videos of his hand in the younger’s back pocket or when Mingyu would lean over and whisper something so only the two could hear. Whatever interactions between them made his affections seem that much more insignificant.

They’d talked in secrecy over the past couple of weeks. Seungcheol voiced his unhappiness in not being able to hold Jeonghan in front of the others or kiss him like he’d wanted to. He wanted to cling on him and laugh in his arms as well, but Jeonghan thought it’d be risky if they were together too much. Each appearance they made, he couldn’t help but feel this strong pull toward him. He’d leant his head on his shoulder and went in for hugs because he knew that he could get away with it on camera. Even if he was reprimanded afterwards. They’d share a chaste kiss to seal their conversations, but Seungcheol was always afraid that the love he felt wasn’t quite reciprocated.

That in mind, Jeonghan must have known that this would ebb away at his insecurities until there was nothing left but his own damaging thoughts.

He groaned quietly, knowing he wouldn't be able to face the members after what just happened. He decided to wait outside in the chilly air with the manager until the vans came. Hopefully it’d be cool enough to subdue his boiling blood.

* * *

 

Seungcheol was the first one to head to bed after checking on everyone. They all gave him concerned looks. _I should be asking if you're okay, hyung,_ Dino had said. Everyone was quite confused and voiced their concerns, not even realizing the answer to their questions was sitting a few feet away.

Jeonghan kept quiet as Seungcheol checked on everyone but him.

Seungcheol announced he was going to bed without giving his partner a second glance. Jeonghan scoffed as he retreated. It didn't go unnoticed by the others.

 _I’m fine. Thank you for asking,_ Jeonghan thought bitterly.

 

Jeonghan helped usher everyone else to bed and after routine showers and late night snacks, everyone seemed to be content.

He waited in the living room, stalling. Everything had calmed down considerably and he paced around the floor trying to stay awake. He didn’t want to confront his problems.

He sighed, not wanting to enter his room. It would be like opening the Iron Gate to hell. There was no way to avoid Seungcheol anymore. They worked together, they lived together, they slept together.

_Now or never._

He walked into his, Seungcheol's, Mingyu's and Jihoon's shared room. He expected to see his boyfriend silently fuming on his bottom bunk, waiting for him with a heated glare. Instead, he was rolled over on his side, facing the wall.

_Looks like there won't be a confrontation tonight._

 

After slipping into some pajamas, Jeonghan softly padded his way to his bed and climbed to the top. They'd just sleep on it and things would be better in the morning.

 

Only, Jeonghan couldn't sleep. Every position was abnormally uncomfortable. He shifted around a total of 12 times before he exasperatedly groaned. Was this guilt eating at his conscious and toying with his stomach? Why had he stared at the ceiling long enough to count the cracks lining the plastered surface?

Seungcheol was mad and he could live with that. He could live without secretly sharing pecks in the morning before everyone else got up. He could live without the pampering and skinship he'd be shown (and miraculously got away with). He could live without strong arms encircling him, warm breath tickling his neck, and the feeling of utter protection. He could live without Seungcheol.

 

He couldn't live without Seungcheol.

 

Jeonghan went climbing back down and looming over Seungcheol's sleeping figure. How did he approach an apology? Was he supposed to flat out say he was sorry? Should he butter him up with compliments? Jeonghan instead decided that actions spoke louder than words so he climbed in the bed with him and wrapped his arms around the other. After a few minutes of no response, he whispered quietly to the other.

"Seungcheol-ah. Are you sleeping?" His response wasn't verbal, but he could feel the obvious stall in his breath on the next inhale.

"I know you're awake." At that, Seungcheol proceeded to remove Jeonghan's tight grip from around his waist, shoving his arm back behind him.

"Stop being stubborn and cuddle with me." Jeonghan whined, nuzzling into Seungcheol's back and trying to bring his arms back around the other.

"How about you go cuddle with Mingyu. You two seemed to be getting along just fine earlier." Seungcheol stayed facing the wall and refused to even look back.

There were many things Jeonghan could have said, sorry being among them. But instead, he settled for a simple "fine then" and marched right over to Mingyu’s bed.

 

Mingyu was fast asleep, a cute snore emanating through small lips. He was on his back, one arm bent, hand pillowing his head and the other hand resting on his stomach. He was perched close to the edge, so as not to disturb him, Jeonghan climbed over him carefully so he was closest to the wall. The crook of Mingyu's bent arm became his pillow and he snuggled up to his side. The younger quickly responded in his sleep, curling his arm down to rest over Jeonghan's shoulder, pulling him closer. His snoring pattern heightened for a second before returning to normal. Jeonghan rested an arm over the other's chest and found comfort again. This was more like it, Jeonghan thought.

As he finally began drifting off, he felt Mingyu roll over toward him and wrap his other arm around his back. The shift was unexpected, but he wasn't complaining. If anything, the new position gave him more warmth. Now snuggling into Mingyu's broad chest, he inhaled his scent of sea breeze and sun-kissed skin. The scent lulled him back into a half daze.

On the very precipice of sleep, Jeonghan barely registered the new position Mingyu had put them in. It was only when Jeonghan couldn't breathe, he realized the taller boy had moved in his sleep. Again.

Jeonghan was being crushed under the weight of the giant, his lungs in a battle of stamina. Mingyu had rolled entirely on top of him, the latter's face pressed awkwardly against his chest. His arms were trapped under the boy as well. Jeonghan wiggled, small grunts barely able to reach the surface. He shifted and shimmied until an arm was free. When it was, he effectively pushed Mingyu to the other side of the bed and gasped for a much needed breath of air. Why did this kid move so much in his sleep? It was quite annoying and if Jeonghan were to recount the story, he was close to death. He quickly got up and glared back down at the boy. He'd complain to him in the morning, surely.

Jeonghan looked around the room. Seungcheol still laid on his side with his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Jeonghan knew Seungcheol sometimes had trouble sleeping and their cuddle sessions could ease his anxiety and help him rest. But he also knew that Seungcheol’s words had hurt and that he didn’t want to be the loser of this argument. Jeonghan sighed, feeling guilty, but nonetheless moved on to find another sleeping partner. He looked toward Jihoon's bed to see if his little koala would be up for the cuddling.

Jihoon... wasn't there.

 _Well that's weird,_ Jeonghan thought to himself. He grabbed his phone off his bunk and shot him a quick text.

 

_Hannie: Where are you?_

_Koala: At the studio. Got some inspiration. Be back soon._

 

Jeonghan sighed. Well Jihoon was now out of the question. He decided he'd move on to pursue his next cuddling buddy. One he'd shared beds with multiple times just because of how close they'd grown to each other.

 

He peeked into the trio's room. Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Joshua's. It was admittedly smaller than the others, but had a cozy feel to it. Seokmin's humidifier whirred quietly somewhere in the darkness and a muted light shined softly from Joshua's bed. Was he still up?

Jeonghan made his way over to him and saw that he was laying on his back with his phone hovering above his face. He didn't seem to notice Jeonghan had entered or that he was now standing right beside him. Jeonghan wanted to take advantage of the situation.

He began to crawl from the foot of the bed, directly over his close friend. Jisoo gasped soundlessly, kicking his feet in reflex. In the process, his phone dropped on his face and he groaned lowly at the impact. Jeonghan was now fully on top of him, supporting his weight by his hands and knees.

"Han? What are you doing?" he whisper shouted, his heart still pounding.

"I need a cuddle buddy." Jeonghan said, plopping himself down and forcing an "oof" out of Joshua. In response, Josh smiled one of his cat like smiles and brought his hands up to Jeonghan's shoulders. In one quick shove, the other was lying on his back next to him.

"But... Cuddle?" Jeonghan pouted rolling over and hugging his longtime friend. Joshua picked his phone back up off of his stomach and got back in his previous position, replacing his ear buds. He held one out.

"Do you wanna watch?" he asked.

Jeonghan whined and stuck his lower lip out even more.

"No. I want you to put your phone away and pay attention to me." But, it seemed his request was futile as Josh had already restarted his video, some orange haired cartoon character playing some kind of sport. Volleyball maybe? Jeonghan rolled his eyes at the dramatics of the scene. He curled into Jisoo's side regardless and laid his head on his chest.

He tried falling asleep, but every few minutes Josh let his reactions to the show vibrate throughout his entire body. Jeonghan felt every giggle, every gasp, every _come on, come on, come on_. _He was shamelessly singing the theme song._ It frustrated Jeonghan to no extent and before he knew it, he slipped away from his bed as well, utterly disappointed. Joshua hadn't even looked in his direction on his departure.

 

 

His next culprit? Lee Seokmin. He was always one of Jeonghan's favorite dongsaengs as he blindly followed him no matter what. He was his "pabo" and hopefully his next pillow.

He went to his lower bunk and was relieved to see that his eyes were actually closed. On multiple occasions, his members had found him with a dull eyed stare into the distance. The first time it happened, Jeonghan remembers, the hysteria of the others was widespread as they thought Seokmin had passed away in his sleep. Now, it was a less drastic reaction, but creepy no less.

Seokmin lay on his side, a thick comforter huddled up to his neck. Jeonghan lifted the blanket and squeezed himself under. Facing each other, Jeonghan took the sleeping boy in his arms, cradling him against his chest. Seokmin instinctively hugged his hyung back, being stimulated by the other’s presence. He loved being looked after and taken care of, so naturally this position was one that him and Jeonghan shared frequently. The other being held and Seokmin clinging right back.

Jeonghan rested his head on top of the other’s, breathing in his fresh scent. If Seokmin held on any tighter, Jeonghan thought he’d snap in half. But, he welcomed the comfort it gave him. His hold was secure and innocent and Jeonghan found it easy to fall asleep again.

 

That is until someone’s conversation brought him out of his slumber.

 

Why was someone having a full conversation in the middle of the night? It wasn’t sotto voce, but regular volumed speaking as if they weren’t even aware that their conversation could be disrupting to everyone else’s sleep. What was even stranger was that it sounded like they were ordering something. Food possibly? Who was delivering this late?

“Yes. Can I also have two orders of jajangmyeon and that will be all.”

Jeonghan should have known. The announcer like voice was coming from directly in front of him. The infamous Lee Seokmin was sleep talking. He’d nearly forgot about this other odd quirk he possessed. Well, he’d forgotten until he was annoyingly reminded. Maybe he could outlast it, Jeonghan thought. He was still in a comfortable position. Maybe if he waited—

“Thank you. We’ve been hard at work promoting our new album and it means a lot that the fans are enjoying it. I’ll sing a little bit of our title track for you—“

Nope.

Jeonghan was prying himself from the tight grip before he knew it. Upon getting up, he bumped into someone else. They both yelped in surprise before another thud was heard and a quiet, pained cry.

“Dammit! Move this fucking humidifier or I swear I’ll throw it out the window.” A very familiar voice grumbled in the dark.

“Hey! You shouldn’t be using language like that.” Jeonghan tried, but the silhouette of Seungkwan was already limping out the door.

“Sorry hyung.” He mumbled sounding less sorry and more irritated.

Moving on.

 

 

Jeonghan drug himself to the third and final room. His feet grew heavier as his exhaustion increased with every failed attempt at sleep. He entered the large room and was met with an odd track of toucans screeching and light rain. Someone left on an ASMR track of the Amazon Rain Forest and although slightly soothing, it was also quite noisy.

Jeonghan first went to his baby, Dino. If there was anyone he could count on, it’d be the young, enthusiastic, sweetheart. Jeonghan always joked that Chan was like his child, but truly did love coddling the boy. Although he liked to play tough in front of the cameras, Chan was secretly much more like Seokmin. He liked to be babied. He just didn’t like to admit it.

Jeonghan lied down next to him and immediately brought him into his arms. A content smile graced his lips and he leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. It took a whole three seconds for Chan to react.

“Whyyyyy?” He whined loudly. Jeonghan was caught off guard, but that didn’t deter him from hugging the boy closer. Chan began whining inadequate words, raising his volume and squirming in his hold.

“Shhh. Just let me hold you.” Jeonghan was not swayed by the actions of the other. He tightened his grip and nestled his head into the crook of Chan’s neck. The maknae went still for a moment, sighing heavily.

“Whose baby are you?” Jeonghan softly cooed.

He was being shoved out the bed before he could even protest.

_I spoil him and this is what I get?_

 

It came as a heartwarming, tear-jerking relief when his next pursuer, Jun welcomed him with open arms. It was clear that the boy was obviously dazed, but he heard the previous interaction go down and opened his arms to an expectant Jeonghan. He happily obliged.

He could feel his breathing—calm and steady on his back. Jeonghan settled for the classic, spoon position, him being the little. He allowed for Jun to circle his waist in a tight hug and slip one of his legs between his, both entangling themselves and getting comfortable. With the sounds of rustling trees and distant croak of tree frogs, bliss seemed to catch him again.

 

Of course, it didn’t last long.

 

At first Jeonghan thought he was still dreaming. Then, he figured it was a figment of his imagination. After a couple more minutes, he realized he was indeed awake and most definitely not imagining things. He reached up and felt that his ear was still damp and slightly tender. It wasn’t particularly an unlikeable feeling, Jeonghan admitted, but he was quite flustered nonetheless.

His ear still tingled at the ghost touch of soft lips pressed against them. The same lips that were now pressed against his exposed neck. Teeth grazed the area and his breath hitched. He was completely frozen. It was an odd feeling. Not because of the action, but because of the person. Jeonghan wondered if this constituted as cheating. He held still a little while longer until he felt a hand creep beneath his shirt and up his smooth abdomen.

That was it.

Jeonghan scrambled from the bed, ready to scold the other, face red and confused. He opened his mouth to complain, but found that the other looked undisturbed and quite frankly, still asleep.

“Hey! Stop pretending to be asleep!” Jeonghan whisper shouted at the boy. His breathing rate remained constant and he didn’t even stir. Had he really been asleep? Jeonghan was even more embarrassed, patting his cheeks as to keep himself awake. He couldn’t handle this. Not now. On top of wasting precious sleep time, he’d discovered some strange sleeping habits of his fellow members. He liked adventure as much as the next person, but only when it didn’t come with the cost of sleep deprivation.

 

He tried cuddling up to Wonwoo looking as pitiful as ever.

But Wonwoo was a wooden plank. He was stiff, laid out on his back like a resting vampire. Jeonghan tried to maneuver himself to fit the shape of his body. In every possible way, he curved and contoured himself to be able to meld into the other. The most comfortable position had been when he’d laid in a similar plank position directly by his side.

“Is something wrong?” Wonwoo startled Jeonghan, his voice deep in the quiet room.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Not with the way you were moving around.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Jeonghan said guiltily. He hadn’t thought that in his plight to get himself to sleep that he may have been disrupting the other’s rest as well.

“But seriously. Are you alright?  You’ve been a little… off today.” Wonwoo spoke with his eyes still closed and his hands laid over his stomach.

“Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Jeonghan lied and it was almost too obvious to tell.

“You’ve been bed hopping, I assume? You and Seungcheol hyung having problems?” Wonwoo asked. It was no doubt that the two slept together most nights, but the other members were well aware of Seungcheol’s sleeping problems. It was just merely out of convenience that Jeonghan was the one to cuddle him every other night.

“No! Definitely not. Everything is fine.”

“Are you saying that for me or for yourself?” Wonwoo’s question took Jeonghan by surprise and he was flushed once again.

“Why do you always have to sound so poetic?” Jeonghan deflected.

The weight of his question laid heavy on his mind. Everything was fine, wasn’t it? He was just messing around with Mingyu. It wasn’t like he did anything bad. He thought the interaction was very innocent and even so, Seungcheol knows that he’s the only one Jeonghan wants. Seungcheol was the one being difficult, not him. It wasn’t his fault if Seungcheol got jealous. Although, he probably should have let Mingyu go after realizing that was the cause of his boyfriend’s frustration, but it wasn’t a big deal in his eyes. Seungcheol was blowing things out of proportion.

 

Jeonghan removed himself in a fit. He stomped right over to Soonyoung’s bed to find that he was missing. He quickly tip-toed back over to Wonwoo, poking him in his side.

“Where’s Soonyoung?”

“Said he had to go help Jihoon with something.” Wonwoo replied, still as frozen as ever. That was interesting. What were they both doing out so late? Creative minds worked weirdly, Jeonghan thought.

He ignored it and moved toward Hansol’s bed but was shocked to see him wide awake and looking right back at him.

“Hi, hyung. I was waiting for my turn.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t sleep anyway.” He laid down next to the boy and pulled him closer.

Hansol wasn’t much of a hugger, but he was malleable enough to lay how Jeonghan wanted him to. They ended up facing each other, Jeonghan stroking Hansol’s head and playing with his disheveled hair. His eyes began drifting close when Hansol started speaking.

“Hyung?” Jeonghan hummed in response. “Sometimes I think I can’t sleep because I’m awake in someone else’s dreams.”

Jeonghan cracked an eye open, lifting an eyebrow. Hansol was looking at him with an adorable, wide eyed stare. His mouth formed a small, round circle and Jeonghan thought it was the sweetest thing ever. He also thought it was a rather weird statement, but let the boy speak his mind. Jeonghan closed his eyes back and smiled. He thought that was the end of it, but then Hansol spoke again.

“Or what if I actually share the same body with someone else and they wake up when I go to sleep. Maybe they’re just really tired and don’t wanna wake up yet?” He paused, his face contorting to that of fear. “What if they died and I have to stay awake forever?”

Jeonghan was really confused as to where all of these questions were coming from. Was he typically this existential? He was probably just really tired. He’d eventually fall asleep. But, the questions kept coming.

_“Are mosquitos technically mini vampires?”_

_“What if life was a video game and traffic was just made to give the game enough time to load the rest of the map?”_

_“Is blinking just a power nap for your eyes?”_

“Hansol-ah.” Jeonghan cut him off abruptly. “You should get some rest. Goodnight.” He fled from the other so quickly, he almost felt bad. The other pouted, nodded, then turned over on his other side. Jeonghan would definitely bring up Hansol’s sleeping problems when he had the chance.

 

By the time he got his bearings, he’d stumbled his way toward Minghao. He was knocked out entirely, head hanging back, a small dribble of drool rolling down his cheek. Jeonghan all but plopped down, exhausted and feeling shittier than ever. He took deep breaths to calm his erratic heart.

It wasn’t fair that he was being punished. His natural personality was playful and mischievous. It wasn’t like he’d changed after they began dating.

Wait.

One thing he failed to realize was that although he didn’t change, his dynamic with Seungcheol had. Seungcheol had always been a possessive friend, sure. But now, he was a possessive _boy_ friend. They had a title to their relationship and although Jeonghan didn’t feel he needed to change, he now understood why Seungcheol’s reaction had been so severe. Or he at least tried to understand.

Maybe it was selfish of him to invalidate his boyfriend’s feelings because they contradicted with his. Instead of trying to hear where Seungcheol was coming from and compromising, Jeonghan let him curl in on himself and sulk in private. He had rubbed salt into his already open wounds.

His head began to throb. His throat began to tighten. The guilt he felt was unlike anything he felt before. They had just recently started dating and it seemed Jeonghan was already off to a bad start. He wanted to apologize and wrap Seungcheol in his arms and kiss away his anger. But, he didn’t know if he’d be brave enough to face him again after he went out of his way just to avoid him.

 

It seems fate gave him the kick start he needed.

 

Jeonghan went tumbling out of the bed as a sharp pain shot up his back. He winced upon moving. His back was going to be really sore in the morning.

“Hyung? Hyung!” Minghao clambered up, his eyes wide and puffy. “I didn’t mean to!” He panicked in a hushed tone, getting up to check on the boy still floor ridden.

“It’s okay. Really. I’m fine.” Jeonghan got up from his position on the floor with the help of Minghao. The younger had been shifting around in his sleep and delivered a mean kick to his spine, catapulting Jeonghan out of the bed and onto the floor.

“Are you sure?” Minghao took a second to squint at Jeonghan in the dark. “You’re crying.” He lifted a hand up delicately and wiped at the tears with his thumb.

“W-what?” Jeonghan went to touch his own face. He quickly looked around to see that everyone else in the room was still and unaffected by the scene he managed to cause. Jeonghan locked eyes with Minghao and was suddenly brought into a tight embrace as he felt warm tears pour down his face. He reciprocated the hug and took his time calming down. Minghao held him until he did.

After a couple of minutes, they pulled away from each other. Jeonghan mumbled a thank you and told Minhgao he could go back to sleep now. He was grateful for the comfort he received, but knew he didn’t deserve it. He needed to apologize to Seungcheol. His boyfriend. His best friend. He went searching an entire night for something he couldn’t get from anyone else. Their bond was special and right now it was severed. Jeonghan needed to fix that.

 

Jeonghan worked up enough courage to re-enter his room. He timidly went over to their shared bunk, looking down at galaxy pajamas, tiny constellations illuminated by the moonlight. He began to reach toward him when he heard a little sniffle. It was so minute, Jeonghan stalled, wondering if he’d actually heard it. When it came again, he wasted no time in rolling Seungcheol over and when he saw his tear-streaked face, all breath was knocked straight out of his chest.

Seungcheol’s jaw went slack, fear quickly transitioning to confusion, to anger. Seungcheol felt an array of emotions and being caught with them clear on his face, embarrassment was added to the list. He didn’t want Jeonghan to see him so distraught. Seungcheol quickly turned back around to face the wall again, tears falling faster. He was weak and unstable and possessive and there was no reason Jeonghan would stay with him after revealing those parts of himself. He hadn’t stayed earlier, he couldn’t expect him to now.

Mingyu was taller and more care-free. He could fix anything, do anything. All Seungcheol could do was complain to Jeonghan when he couldn’t handle the stress of being leader. He often doubted that title. He was supposed to be the one to take care of everyone else, but here he was, lying in a puddle of crystallized tears and glowing stars wanting nothing more than to be taken care of himself.

 

Jeonghan laid down behind him and once again, wrapped his arms lovingly around the other. He pulled him close and waited for their breathing to sync. Seungcheol’s shuddering breaths calmed from their hasty pace, the presence of his secret lover covering him like a protective shield. The immediate reaction his body had to the touch was undeniable.

Jeonghan whispered in his ear. “Seungcheol?” He got a sniffle in response. “Cheollie.” He cooed. He still got no verbal response, but this time he wasn’t thrusted away like before. “I’m sorry, Cheollie. I didn’t realize you’d be this upset.”

“And why wouldn’t I be? You were all over Mingyu like _he_ was the one you were dating. If you didn’t want to be with me, you could have just told me the truth.” The hurt was evident.

“What? Seungcheol, what are you talking about? He’s like an annoying little brother.”

“So I guess I’m even less than that…”

“Stop it.” Jeonghan sighed, tightening his grip. “I should have been more mature and talked things out with you earlier. I was just upset that you made such a big deal about it. But, I neglected to consider how you must have felt.

Of course I want to be with you. You don’t even have to question that. I love Mingyu, but not in the way I love you. You don’t have to worry, okay? Seeing you like this hurts. And knowing I’m the reason is even worse.

I don’t want you to feel like you have to compete. I’ll do my best to pay more attention to you and if the other’s find out, fuck it.”

“We already know.” Came a grumble from none other than Kim Mingyu himself.

“Shut up.” Jeonghan retorted. “Very annoying little brother.” He huffed even though he was now blushing a mad shade of red that no one could see in the dark.

“I’m sorry too. I think I may have overreacted.” Seungcheol was reluctant to admit it, but knew he had to compromise for them to be able to move on.

“Seungcheol. Can you look at me?” Jeonghan asked gently, not wanting to break the peace they just found. After some shifting and shuffling, he was facing him, despite wanting to hide. Jeonghan wiped his cheeks before kissing him on the nose. “Let’s not fight anymore, okay? I’ll stay by your side. I promise.”

He leaned in to press a sweet kiss to his lips tasting lip balm, salty tears, and so much trust. They finally cuddled and fell asleep in crystal tears and sparkling galaxies.

**Author's Note:**

> (No promises, but I may expose Soonhoon's "work" night)
> 
> *edit: The SoonHoon addition is up as the next installment to the series! 
> 
> Thank you for reading. Comments, Concerns, and Kudos greatly appreciated.  
> Also, hit me up on tumblr @eottoghe !


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